LIFERS GROOVE - GROOVE THERAPY
OUT NOW!
Photo: Britni West
Lifers Groove is a super-collective of Black elder musicians and poets with incredible voices and stories to tell.
Often overlooked in our society, elders hold wisdom, inspiration and vital lived experiences. Groove Therapy is a record which boldly celebrates age and timeless beauty.
The members of Lifers Groove are: Maxwell Melvins, founder of Grammy-nominated Hip-Hop ensemble Lifers Group. Simply Naomi, who recorded her first songs as a teenager on Philly label Swan Records. Ms. Seeley, who spent her teens at the Apollo Theater as a Harlem “It Girl” partying with Stevie Wonder. Michael Austin, who has performed his music at Princeton University and The Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, all the way to South Africa. Carl Dukes, whose track “Plastic Bag” was featured on the Die Jim Crow EP to critical acclaim.
Between them, these artists represent 150 years of time spent in the American prison system. These inspiring elders remained pillars of their community while incarcerated.
Maxwell Melvins started one of the first phone hotlines from prison for at-risk youth struggling with mental health.
Simply Naomi led the Lady Lifers, a group of women serving life sentences at Muncy Prison. As their composer, she wrote the music for “This Is Not My Home,” which received over 130K views as part of TedX.
Michael Austin, an exoneree from Baltimore, spent 27 years in Maryland state prisons for a crime he did not commit. It was during his decades inside that he discovered his love for songwriting, which kept his hope alive.
Now, the five artists of Lifers Groove are definitively sharing their stories and talent with the world on their own terms.
Produced by multi-instrumentalist maestro Brian Lawlor, a system-impacted artist himself, the songs on Groove Therapy take you on a healing session of many genres.
A vibrant musical message, full of nostalgic passion, the Lifers Groove sound recalls Rock n’ Roll roots in Black music, such as iconic guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe, as well as the sharp punchy spoken word funk of 1960s and 70s liberation music like Gil Scott Heron. The soothing sounds of Soul and R&B are also reflected.
“Mello-D” is a tender love ballad, and a coming out song, celebrating queer passion and embracing identity. With crooning, melodic vocals, this is an ode to lifelong enduring love.
On “Drapetomania” Maxwell Melvins bares his soul in staccato poetic bars, ”To me ‘Drapetomania’ is a song describing how prison is a strict environment to stay in our place,” says Melvins, whose performance sends a message of resilience to future generations.
“World of No Return” explores the terrors of domestic violence through Ms. Seeley’s personal experiences. This is a survivor’s anthem, dedicated to all people still trapped in abusive partnerships.
Today, the members of Lifers Groove continue to shine.
After being released in New York at the age of 71, Carl Dukes began working at The Fortune Society in Long Island City, where he shares an office with their founder, prison reform legend David Rothenberg. There he corresponds with prisoners all over the country.
Ms. Seeley was pardoned by NY Governor Cuomo in 2016. She has since spoken at Hunter College, and was the subject of an article by award-winning journalist Victoria Law, which lives permanently in the Bedford Hills Prison Law Library.
Commuted of her life sentence in 2019, Simply Naomi worked with Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman as a Commutation Specialist, to assist others in prison with long-term and life sentences in PA state. She is now the Programming Coordinator at Shining Light.
According to The Sentencing Project, more than 200,000 Americans are serving life sentences – one out of every seven in prison. 30% of lifers are 55 years old or more. Two-thirds are people of color. This is a population routinely denied access to health care, and often left vulnerable and ignored by the outside world.
The release of Groove Therapy is the culmination of years of struggles and triumphs, an astounding musical love letter full of oral history and humanity. This is a therapeutic message of hope from our elders – a groove we can all dance to, a journey we can all grow from.